Lost
by Gemini Star01
Summary: T.K. and Matt are in a plane crash, and only Matt makes it out alive. With T.K.'s last note being a love letter to Kari, the whole of the DDs are broken hearted. But who is this Chinese stranger who seams so much like the lost boy?ON HIATUS...NEED IDEAS
1. Lost at Sea

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I don't know where this came from and don't know when it'll end. I just know I had to write it, this scene in particular, as well as a few later on. Hope you like…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and everyone who says I do is a liar.

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Lost

Chapter 1: Lost at Sea

T.K. gazed out the window. The sky was gray, and he could hear the rain on the water below the plane. It was a small hop, just from the middle of China to Tokyo, so the plane was just big enough to hold about fifty people, and it was only half-full with passengers, businessmen mostly, in black suits and ties. The seatbelt sign had been on the whole time, and there'd been a lot of turbulence.

Matt glanced over at his little brother. "See land yet?"

"Not yet." T.K. grinned back, leaning into his chair. "But, according to the captain, we're half-way over the Sea of Japan. We should be there in about an hour or so."

Matt nodded and leaned back. He and his brother were flying home from a short vacation in France, visiting their grandparents. It was the middle of August, school would start in a few weeks, and they were heading home.

T.K. bent over a letter in his lap, lips tight in concentration. "There." he muttered to himself, capping the pen. "Finished."

"With what?"

Matt leaned over his brother's shoulder. T.K. tried to cover it up, but he could read the top line. "Oh, a letter to _Kar-ee_ huh?"

T.K. blushed pink and quickly folded the letter. "Don't say a word." he warned.

"What? Ashamed? I thought you…"

"Matt." T.K. said warningly, turning a deep shade of red. "Drop it."

Matt just laughed. Over the trip, he'd caught his little brother muttering in his sleep about the girl, and he'd recorded it just for a little blackmail. "Alright, Alright." he sighed, mussing up T.K.'s already-messy hair. "I won't say anything."

T.K. sighed and folded his note up into a small square, then put it in the front pocket of his plastic carry-on backpack. As he slid it back under the seat, the plane jumped suddenly and shook violently.

T.K. and Matt, as well as the rest of the passengers, gripped the sides of their chairs as they were shaken up so hard it was like riding a jackhammer. There was a sudden crash, and the plane sudden wiped into a downward spiral.

"We've lost all power in the right wing!" someone across from them yelled.

T.K. took a wild glance out the window and saw fire and sparks. "Forget power! We've _lost_ the right wing!"

"Everyone, we are going down!" the pilot warned over the intercom. He was straining, like trying to pull something out that's stuck in the ground. "I repeat, we are going down! Brace yourselves for a water landing!"

In half a second, everyone was leaning forward with their head covered with something, be it their hands or their carry-on bags. There was that horrible _whoosh_ing sound and a screech before the plane hit the water, belly-first, and was immediately swept up in the storm.

"Everyone, quickly!" the flight attendant shouted. "Get to one of the emergency exits! Inflate the emergency life rafts! Get out now, before we sink!"

No one had to be told twice. Soon, each and everyone one of them were all piled into the two orange life rafts. T.K. and Matt were in one with the captain, while T.K. struggled with getting his bag untangled from his wrist.

"Hang on, everyone!" the captain shouted over the rocking and thrashing of the waves. "It's gonna be bumpy ride!"

A wave sent the small boat flying upwards in a spout of water. It crashed back down, only to be swept up again. The passengers franticly gripped the rubber sides as they were tossed about like a salad.

Then T.K.'s grip slipped, just for a second, but that was enough. It happened just as another giant wave was sweeping them up, and the young man was thrown head-first out of the raft and into the storm waters.

"T.K.!" Matt called, leaning over the edge and searching for him. "Can you hear me?! T.K.!"

A moment later, T.K.'s head popped out of the water, gasping for breath. He grabbed onto a floating piece of debris and clung for dear life. "Help!" he called, coughing up seawater. "Over here! Help!"

"Hang on, T.K.!" Matt shouted as the captain rowed the raft as close as he could to the fighting boy. "Just hang on!"

T.K. spat out more seawater, only to be pulled under again by one of the waves. He popped back up, the raft only a few meters away.

"T.K.!" Matt called, leaning over the side. "Grab my hand! Hurry!"

T.K. managed to pull himself up on the debris and stretch out for his brother's hand. "That's it." Matt urged, leaning forward evermore as they got closer and closer. "Just a little…further…"

T.K. gripped his brother's hand, but just by a hair. Matt was nearly pulled over at the next wave, but the captain and other men onboard grabbed on to steady him. On and on the storm raged, sending both boat and boy bouncing and crashing. Several times it threatened to tear them apart, but somehow they managed to stay connected.

Through the sea, T.K. looked up at his brother. He and the other men were straining to keep him from being pulled in.

_"If he keeps on like this…He'll fall in with me…"_ T.K. thought desperately. _"We'll both drown…He…Can't…"_

"Matt…" 

The older brother looked up. T.K. was staring at him, just staring, with big, sad, pitying eyes. "The letter…you'll give it to her, right?"

Matt swallowed. "What…What are you talking about? Who?"

"Kari…You'll give her my letter, won't you?" T.K. continued to whisper "It's still in my bag."

Matt swallowed again. His throat was tightening so bad he could hardly speak. "Don't be…silly…You'll give it to her…It's yours…"

T.K. smiled at Matt one last time. One last sad, longing, weary smile that burned in his heart from that day forth. "Goodbye, brother."

With that, he released his brother's hand.

"T.K.!" Matt gasped, watching his brother float away on the waves. "No…T.K.! T.K.!"

"Hold him back!" the captain shouted. Several of the men obeyed, barely holding the young man back from leaping in after T.K. "Don't be a fool, boy!"

For a spilt second, Matt spotted his brother between the waves. He was unconscious, still clinging to the board, helpless in the middle of the sea. And with another, deafening crash, he was gone.

~ * ~ * ~

Kari and Tai hurried down to the dock, only just behind Mr. Ishida, who was right behind Mrs. Takaishai.

They'd just received the message half an hour ago: The plane Matt and T.K. had been on that afternoon had crashed into the Sea of Japan during a violent storm. The people on-board had been rescued from the rafts and brought back to Tokyo.

Through the windows, they could see the many people sitting around the dock, wrapped in blankets. Nancy ran forward, into the benches, her ex-husband right behind her.

The Kamiyas tried to follow after, but the guards stopped them. "Do you have any relatives in here?"

"Our friends…they were in the crash…" Kari tried to explain, but the guard shook his head.

"Family only, I'm afraid." he said gruffly. "You'll have to wait out here."

Kari sighed. "Damn…" Tai whispered. "Rats…"

A few minutes later, the family emerged from the building, and they could tell something was wrong.

Mr. Ishida was grim-faced as he came out. Matt followed, leading his mother, who was sobbing into her eldest son's shoulder. No one else was there.

The brother and sister pair approached the family cautiously. "Matt…What happened?" Tai asked his friend.

"Where's T.K.?" Kari whispered anxiously.

Matt wouldn't look at either of them. Mr. Ishida answered instead: "Kids…T.K. didn't make it out. He's not coming home."

~ * ~ * ~

Two weeks later was the funeral. Kari and the others were upset, disbelieving, and sad, but Matt still hadn't spoken to anyone, not even his parents. He blamed himself for his little brother's death. In his mind he could still see that last longing smile T.K. had given him…that last glance of him lying there, exhausted and helpless…Those images would burn in his mind forever.

After the funeral, he tapped Kari on the shoulder. When she turned he was holding out a note, folded tight into a small square.

"Here…" he muttered, voice cracking. "T.K.…Wanted me to give you this…"

Kari took the letter and ducked into an empty corner where she could read it quietly. What could it be? Why would T.K. have written…to her? The day he was supposed to come back? Her eyes scanned the page and widened as she read:

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Dear Kari,

You have no idea how long I've waited to say this…but I've always been too afraid… scared you'd laugh, I guess. But now…I can't keep it in anymore. I've known since we were little…back in the Digital World, remember? When you suffered that relapse from the fever you'd had…When you got so sick…When I saw you there…and felt like you needed me…I fell for you right then and there.

Kari, what I'm trying to say is…And trust me, I'm not lying…Kari…I…

I love you, Kari.

T.K.

Kari swallowed hard. Her hands shook and she hugged the letter close. "He…He _loved_ me?!" she whispered low enough that no one else could hear. Her whole body shook with the surprise and grief. "Oh god…T.K.…I can't believe he's…T.K.…"

~ * ~ * ~

At the end of the summer, the people traditionally put paper boats out into the waters of the bay and ocean. Each carried a candle, and some letters or paper presents for the dead, to light the way home or give messages to loved ones.

Several the DigiDestined took part in this every year. Izzy always sent two, one for each of his biological parents. Cody sent one out for his dad. This summer, both Kari and Matt sent theirs, too. As the wind blew them into the sea, you could almost hear the messages over the water.

_"Forgive me, brother…"_ Matt's boat whispered in the wind.

And Kari's said simply: _"I love you too."_

But neither could know he might not be as dead as he now seamed.

**__**

This chapter can be very misleading…most importantly…THIS IS NOT THE END!!!


	2. Lost Hope

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*Loud cursing and yelling ensues* STUPID HUNK OF JUNK!!! That's the THRID floppy it's erased all my files on! And I was almost done with The Grass is Greener Ch. 4...And Future's Course Ch. 9.…AND I have to start my Ken fic all over AGAIN!!! ARGH!!!!!!!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. And I wish I didn't own this stupid computer! None of this ever happened with the old 1989 version. *sob sob*

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Lost

Chapter 2: Lost Hope

_"T.K.…T.K.…"_

_The figure stretched out to him through the mist. The boy tried desperately to see the face, but all he could make out were two deep, deep auburn-brown eyes, sparkling through the gloom._

"Who are you?" he shouted back. "Why do you keep calling me?"

"T.K.…Please come home…" the figure whispered, arms outstretched. "We all miss you so much… Please T.K.…Come back to us…"

The eyes faded into the darkness, and the figure just seamed to vanish with them. "Wait a sec!" the boy called. "Come back!"

But the only response was a dark, evil laugh and the figure's piercing scream through the fog…

The boy Tien burst awake, gasping in a cold sweat. It took him a moment to realize everything had just been the dream again.

He stumbled to the bathroom, flipped on the light and filled the basin with water. He splashed the cold liquid on his face, then looked sleepily into the mirror.

"Third time this week…" he muttered. "That voice…It's gotta be a girl…"

With a sigh, he leaned his head against the mirror and tried to piece the puzzle together. "What is it that she keeps calling me?" he asked his reflection. "T…K…?"

~ * ~ * ~

Kari sighed, leaning her head on her hand as she waited for class to start. It was the first day of the new school year, and the sixteen year old was depressed.

_"Snap out of it." _she told herself. _"You've got no reason to be glum. Summer's over, sure, but that's never been a reason before. And the…anniversary…was two weeks ago. Stop brooding over it. It's not gonna change anything."_

She sighed again. Yeah. The anniversary. That's what was getting her down. Three years, and she still hadn't gotten completely over him. On the outside, everything was perfect. But inside…

"Hey Kari." Davis leaned over her desk from the front. "Feelin' any better?"

Kari shook her head. "Not since last week." she muttered. "My head still hurts…"

Davis sighed. She always felt this way around now, ever since T.K.'s plane crash three years ago. But it usually went away by the time school started. "You sure you're feeling well enough to be here today?"

"My head hurts, not my stomach." Kari muttered. "I'm not sick I'm just… thinking…"

The teacher came in that moment and Davis scrambled back into his seat. She cleared her throat and tapped on her podium, and everyone was silent. She cleared her throat and began. "Good morning, class."

"Good morning, sensei." the group chorused.

"My name is Ms. Tamikana. I'll be your teacher this year. Now before we start today, I would like all of you to meet our new student…" she turned to the sliding door. "You may come in now, dear."

The door slid open. Kari looked up and couldn't look away.

The boy that had walked in was tall, over six foot. His hair was semi-long, but not too bad, blonde and shaggy. He wore the usual boy's school uniform: green slacks, white shirt, blue tie and green suit jacket, so nothing strange there. So what'd gotten Kari's attention?

His eyes.

They were crystal clear and perfectly blue, so deep and gorgeous. They were captivatingly brilliant. Some how, Kari thought she'd seen those eyes somewhere before…

"Class." Ms. Tamikana continued, putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is Tien. He's just moved here from China, is that right?"

"Yes ma'am." Tien whispered, not looking at the class but rather at his feet.

"For a China guy, he sure speaks Japanese pretty well." Davis muttered under his breath.

"Mr. Motamiya." the teacher growled in a low voice. "Do you have something you'd like to share?"

"N-N-No, ma'am." Davis blushed, looking down quickly.

"Good." Mrs. Tamikana turned back to Tien, smiling. "Now then…Tien, the principal has paired you with another student who shares your classes, just to make you a bit more comfortable with our school. Just a moment…let me look." 

She checked her clipboard. Several students began murmuring to each other. Kari heard a couple of girls whisper, "He's real cute…I hope he's with me!" and collapse into giggles.

"Settle down." the teacher called again. "Tien…You've been paired with Kari." 

Kari gagged on her own tongue and looked quickly down at the desk, blushing. The girls around her started to giggle more when they saw how red she was getting. Mrs. Tamikana noticed none of this. "Kari? Will you please raise your hand so Tien can find you?"

Kari raised her hand, but not her head. "There we go." the teacher smiled. "Tien, please take the empty seat next to her."

There were quiet whispers as Tien crossed the room, set down his bag, and slid into his seat. Kari still didn't look up as the teacher took roll, listed what was happening that school year, and sat down at her desk to wait while everyone talked.

When the bell rang, she finally looked up at her new companion. "Well?" she sighed, smiling. "It's time for first period. You ready?"

Tien looked up and their eyes connected. For a moment he seamed unable to speak, then he just nodded. "I'm ready if you are."

"Then let's get moving." she said, standing, and lead him out the door.

~ * ~ * ~

"Hey Kari!"

Kari smiled as she sat down with the group. It was lunch time, and the DigiDestined who still went to Odiva High always sat together. So there was Cody, Davis, Yolei and herself, all under the branches of the oak tree in the court yard.

Davis took a bite out of his sandwich and glanced over at Kari. "Where's that Chinese guy you're leading around?" he muttered. "Ditched him?"

"He went to get his lunch out of his locker." she muttered, undoing her package. "And he's native to Japan, Davis. He just lived in China, and now he's moved back."

"Who is he?" Cody asked. "The new student I heard Naoko and Melin talking about?"

"That'd be him." Kari sighed. "I've been assigned to show him around. He's even got the same class schedule."

"What's he like?" Yolei asked, taking a bite of sushi from Cody.

"See for yourself." Kari nodded, seeing something behind her. "Tien! Over here!"

The blonde-haired boy looked up. His face flushed when he saw Kari. "Come on!" she called, waving. "You can sit with us!"

A bit nervously, Tien crossed the grass and sat down in the group, eyeing the others nervously. There was silence for a moment, awkward and confused about what to do.

"Hi." Yolei smiled, breaking the ice "My name's Yolei."

"Pleased to meet you." Cody said with a slight bow. "I'm Cody."

"And I'll take it you already know Davis." Kari motioned to the other boy, who nodded.

Tien remained quiet a moment, then whispered, "My name's Tien…" in a voice so quiet they could barely hear him.

The rest of lunch was a bit uneasy. They tried to joke a play with each other like they usually did, but Tien just wouldn't join in. He barely spoke the whole time, and when he did, he seamed to only be to Kari.

When the afternoon classes were done, the group met in the computer room as usual. Davis stood at the door, looking at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. "She's late." he muttered.

"Who? Kari?" Yolei asked from the computer. "It's only been ten minutes. She's probably seeing Tien off."

"Who's Tien?" Ken asked, leaning over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"The new exchange student." Cody muttered. "Kari was leading him around."

Davis huffed. Ken looked up. "What's with you, Davis?" he asked, laughing a bit. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"No!" Davis insisted. "Yes…" he sighed, and turned back to the others. "It's just so strange…"

"What?" Yolei asked. He got all of their interests now.

Davis sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "There was only one person I ever felt this jealous of…" he muttered. "It was T.K.…


	3. Lost Name

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Wowsa…I'm glad you all like it! Don't 'cha worry…it'll all work out great.

Eh…I dunno…Does Tien mean sky? I just pulled it off DBZ 'cause it sounds like T.N., you know…something Davis could confuse him for.

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Disclaimer: I don't own a lot of things. Digimon is one of them.

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Lost

Chapter 3: Lost Name

"Here you go, Kari." Yolei's sister handed the girl a bag of groceries. "All ready."

"Thanks, Naomi." Kari smiled.

Yolei stuck her head out of the back room. "You better get a move on, Kari." she called. "The storm's getting worse. They're predicting the biggest one this year."

"I'm heading home right now." Kari called back, pulling out her umbrella. "See you tomorrow, Yolei!"

With that, she journeyed out into the driving rain.

About half-way home she nearly ran into another traveler. "Oh gee…I'm sorry…" she gasped, before she saw his face. "Tien!"

"Kari?" the boy pulled his coat down. It's been pulled up over his head to try and defend against the rain. "What're you doin' here?"

"Just got some groceries for dinner." Kari motioned to the bag in her hand. "What about you? What're you doin' here?"

Tien smiled, just a bit. He'd warmed up over the last week, but was closest to Kari rather than anyone else. "Well…I was just exploring that park over there, when the storm blew in."

Kari nodded. Tien was always exploring the town for one reason or another. "Where do you live?"

"Block 54..."

"What?!" Kari exclaimed, "There's no way you'll make it before the storm blows in!"

"I'll be fine…" Tien blushed.

"Tien, don't be stupid!" Kari insisted. "You can come over to my place until the storm blows over, then head home."

"Uh…that's not necessary…" Tien muttered, coughing.

"Oh yes it is!" Kari smiled, offering up her umbrella. "What kind of person do you think I am to leave a friend out in the rain like this? Come on, share my umbrella. We're only a block away."

Reluctantly, Tien ducked under with her and allowed her to lead him home.

~ * ~ * ~

Mrs. Kamiya heard a click as the door opened and looked up, relieved. "Kari! Thank goodness, I thought you'd…"

She stopped short and stared. Standing behind her daughter, holding a wet coat, was a rather tall and sheepish-looking young man. She felt sure she'd seen him somewhere before…

"Mom." Kari cleared her throat. "This is Tien. He's the new kid I told you about."

"Oh…" Mrs. Kamiya smiled. "It's very nice to meet you, Tien. I'll take it you're a bit far from home?"

Tien mumbled to himself so quietly that the only thing she picked up was "…Block 54…I'll be fine…"

"Oh my…" Mrs. Kamiya whispered, then smiled. "I guess you'll be staying with us for dinner then, huh?"

"Who will?"

Tien looked up. An older boy, with spiky brown hair and eyes identical to Kari's, dressed in a white collared shirt and blue jeans, had appeared in the hallway. Kari smiled at Tien, and motioned to the new boy.

"Tien…This is my brother, Tai. He's a student at KO University." she explained, then turned to her brother. "Tai, this is Tien. He's a friend from school, and got caught out in the rain."

Tai smiled, holding out his hand to Tien. "Nice to meet 'cha." he said cheerfully, but he too was feeling a little perturbed. He looked just so familiar…but where had they met before?

~ * ~ * ~

"Well…This is nice" Mrs. Kamiya smiled at the boy, biting into a slice of cheese pizza. Since Mr. Kamiya was out on a business trip, it was an excuse for the kids not to have to suffer through some disgusting health food meal, which made it lucky that Tien had come over that particular night. "Having a little company, I mean…"

Tai looked between the other people on at the table as he reached for another slice of pepperoni. His mother sat on his left side, Kari on the right. Tien was right across from him, munching away quietly. He still had the vague, nagging feeling that he'd seen that boy somewhere before…

He sighed, shook it out of his head, and attempted to make conversation. "So… Tien…How do you like it here?"

Tien shrugged. "Not bad…" he murmured, taking another bite.

Kari smiled warmly at her newest friend. "Not quite like home, huh?" she asked gently. "A little crowded?"

"A little…" Tien admitted. His eyes were out of focus and he was obviously thinking of something else.

Kari sighed and tried again. "Are you planning to join any of the clubs at school?" she asked brightly. "The basketball team's having a big drive."

Tien nodded. "That sounds like fun…but really, I'm kinda into the creative writing club."

"Basketball's okay." Tai put in. "But you know soccer rocks."

"Only in your opinion, Tai." Kari muttered, rolling her eyes. "Besides, Sora and I run rings around you."

Tai snorted. "Me? I think not! And which team beat you girls into a pulp at the picnic two months ago?"

"That was because you had Ken on your team, remember?" Kari snickered. "You and Davis tripped all over yourselves."

Tai narrowed his eyes in a laughing manner. Mrs. Kamiya stood to clear away the dishes, and for the first time Tien laughed. Kari's eyes sparkled. The laugh sounded so warm and familiar, it was like she'd known him her whole life.

"Hey…" Tai leaned across the table. "I bet we could take 'er in a sport, don't you?"

"Don't even try that Tai!" Kari warned.

Tai grinned, enjoying getting on his sister's nerves. "After all, we guys gotta stick together." he laughed. "Whaddya say T.K.?"

Tien stopped, looking confused. "Tai!" Kari cried, kicking her brother under the table.

"Tien, sorry!" Tai, realizing what he'd done, panicked a bit. "Wrong name! Sorry Tien…"

"It's okay…really…" Tien said, still confused.

Kari sighed, but she still looked upset. It had been going so well…why'd Tai have to bring _that_ up?

Mrs. Kamiya had, like all mothers, a sixth sense when something was wrong in her house. At that moment she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a plate she'd been washing in one hand.

"Tien…" she smiled warmly at their guest. "According to the radio, the storm has just settled in. It won't be leaving until tomorrow. I'm afraid you'll have to stay the night."

Tien blushed a deep red. "No…really, I don't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense!" the mother laughed. "We'll just make up the couch, you can walk to school with Kari tomorrow, and I'm sure Tai won't mind lending you an extra pair of pajamas, would you Tai?"

"Sure." Tai shrugged.

"Fine then." Mrs. Kamiya perked, putting the plate of the counter. "It's all settled then. Kari, will you please get some sheets?"

"Sure mom." Kari forced a smile and, relieved to get up from that awkward silence, disappeared into the hall for the linen cabinet.

"And Tien…" the woman turned back to the boy. "You'll need to call your mother, of course."

Tien looked down, a slight frown crossing his face. "O-Okay…" he muttered, pulling something small and black out of his pocket. "I'll use my cell."

He stood, heading for the bathroom, and brushed past Kari on the way. She had an armful of blue-white sheets, with a pillow on top. She noticed a curious look in the boy's eyes. "Tien?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her a moment, as though he had something important he wanted to tell her. But he shook his head. "It's nothing…" he muttered. "Nothing at all…"

With that, he disappeared into the bathroom.

~ * ~ * ~

Kari awoke late that night, suddenly parched, and crossed the apartment to the kitchen. According to the digital clock, it was 1:43 PM as she drained the cup of ice-cold water and began back to her room.

As she did she passed the living room, and she couldn't help but peek in at Tien as he slept.

The boy was curled warmly into the blankets on the bed, so tight he was almost a ball. He was smiling gently and muttering a bit in his sleep, obviously enjoying some pleasant dream.

Kari giggled in her mind. _"He looks just like a baby."_ she cooed to herself, suddenly tempted to run her fingers through his hair like she would a child.

Tien mumbled again, smiling contently. Through the slurred phrases she heard, "Mhm…Kari…Mm…"

Kari took in a short breath, then smiled down at him, sinking to her knees beside the couch. _"How sweet…I'm in his dream…" _she thought, giggling. Then she slapped herself mentally. _"Oh…get with it, girl. You barely know him. Sure, he looks like T.K.… and acts like T.K.…and he's sweet and kind…but…"_

Tien squirmed a bit and the smile faded. Kari started to get worried as sweat popped out visibly on his forehead. _"He's having a nightmare…"_ she thought, viewing the pained look on his face, and shook him as hard as she could.

"Wake up! Tien, snap out of it!" she urged in a whisper.

The boy's eyes flew open and he sat straight up, nearly knocking Kari over. He panted a moment, wide-eyed, then sighed and relaxed a bit.

"Bad dream?" Kari asked gently.

Tien shook his head, like trying to get water out of his ears, and sighed again. "It's nothing…" he muttered, rising suddenly. He stumbled to the kitchen and drew a glass of water sleepily, still breathing hard.

Kari slid up behind him, still worried. It was almost 2:00 now. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "It looked…pretty bad…"

"I'm fine…" Tien muttered, settling the glass down. "Really…Now we gotta get back to bed…Goodnight, Kari."

Kari clicked her tongue worriedly, crossing towards the hallway. She stopped at the entrance and gazed back at him. 

__

"Oh Tien…" she thought longingly. _"I don't know everything about you…but I want to…I want to know everything…everything…"_


	4. Lost Friend

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I threw in a little play-on-words here, basing that Tien's supposed to be from China. Kanji is what you call an imported Chinese character in a Japanese anime. Weird, huh?

Hey Hyper Shark? Do me a big favor and cut down on the caffeine, okay? All your capitals are giving me a headache, which won't help me get the chapters out sooner…

P.S. - Of course all the chapters are supposed to begin with 'Lost'! Whadda think I was doing?! ^_^

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. But this story has always, will always, and…well, I guess there isn't really much after that, huh? Aw, forget it…

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Lost

Chapter 4: Lost Friend

"Come over?"

Kari blinked at Tien in surprise. It'd been a week since the storm, and the boy was facing her by the school gates. Tien scratched the back of one leg with the other and licked his lips, avoiding her gaze anxiously.

"Well…yeah…" he laughed nervously. "I mean…just to chat, you know? To pay you back for keeping me out of the rain last week…"

Kari looked at his hopeful face. Now she was getting nervous, but nervous about her own decision. _"I'm supposed to go to the Digital World with the others today…" _she argued with herself. _"The Digimon are waiting…and Patamon's even gonna be there."_

_"Aw, come on…"_ the other half whispered. _"It's only once. And look at 'em…He really wants you to say yes."_

"But…the others…"

"They'll understand. Go on. Make him happy. You know you want to. Say yes…Just say yes…"

"Sure." she said, smiling at him. "I'd love to."

Davis leaned on the windowsill, looking down towards the gate. _"Kari's talking to that guy again…"_ he muttered in his head. _"What's taking her…wait a minute…"_

"She's leaving with him!" he exclaimed out loud.

"Who?" Ken asked, looking up from his math homework.

"Kari!" Davis cried. "She's leaving with that Tien guy! They just walked out together!"

Cody came to the window. "You're right…" he muttered. "What could Kari be thinking?"

Yolei leaned back. "Don't worry about it." she told them, not taking her eyes off the computer screen. "I think that guy's just what she needs."

The boys stared at her, but she didn't notice. "Kari's been so depressed lately…I think she needed something to pull her out of it. And you know…" she leaned back, looking at them for the first time. "Maybe he reminds her of T.K. He _is_ more like him than anyone we've ever met."

She stood up and went to the window by the others. "Don't worry about her." she finished with a sigh. "She'll be back to normal soon."

~ * ~ * ~

Kari and Tien arrived at the door of his third-floor apartment. Kari noticed the name plate with surprise. Most of the family apartments said something like Mr. and Mrs. Arika or Jim and Lois Mikana. But all this one said was Tien Kanji. That's all.

Tien unlocked the door and showed her in. The room was bare, in comparison. There was a couch facing the fireplace, a coffee table, several pictures and a decorative box on the mantle, and a small wooden table with a single chair.

"Sit down." he said sheepishly, motioning to the couch. "I'll get you a drink."

Kari set her bag down by her shoes and crossed the room to the couch. She sat down and looked around her in curiosity. There were no decorations around her, just blank walls and the pictures on the mantle. This place looked.…empty…

With a jolt, she realized the truth.

"Tien…" she said slowly, looking up as he entered with two sodas. "Do…Do you live alone?"

The boy was quiet and looked down. Kari couldn't tell, but it looked like she'd touched something real sore. "I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay." he assured her, smiling. "Really…I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later."

There was silence a moment as they sipped quietly. Then Tien looked up. "I've been meaning to ask you, Kari…" he muttered, looking at her. "That name your brother called me last week…what did that mean?"

Kari swallowed hard. "It's…nothing…" she croaked. "Nothing important…"

"Sure seams important." Tien said. "Was he…a friend?"

"A very close friend…" Kari admitted, holding in tears with a gulp. "He was…it's hard to explain…we were on a sort of team together…"

"'Were'?" Tien asked quietly. "What happened?"

Kari closed her eyes sadly and a tear drifted down her cheek involuntarily. She always got this way when she thought about _him_. "It was about three years ago…" she muttered. "He…He and his brother…they were in an accident. A plane crash. In the middle of the ocean. His brother got out…but T.K.…"

Tien reached out to her and gently brushed the tear away. She looked up and he was handing her a tissue. "Thanks…" she muttered, taking it and blowing her nose.

Tien looked at her, then away. "It feels…kinda good. The fact that you could share that with me, I mean." he sighed, then stood. "I've got something I want to show you, too."

He crossed the room to the mantle, took down the box and one of the photos from the top, returned to the couch, and handed her the picture. Kari looked at it and drew in a short breath.

The photo showed a thirteen-year-old boy, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was smiling and laughing on a beach somewhere, with two older people. One was a woman with white-gray hair and faded green eyes, while the man had dark-gray hair and brown eyes.

Kari was taken aback by the boy. It was defiantly Tien, it had to be…but at the same time it looked exactly like T.K.…But it couldn't be…

"These people…" she said, recomposing herself and pointing to the old man. "Who are they?"

Tien smiled. "That's my Grandpa." he said quietly. "And the woman's Grandma. They took care of me as long as I can remember…" he shrugged slowly. "Then…well, grandpa died about a year and a half ago. Then gramma…she went only about six months before I moved here."

Kari's hand covered her mouth. _"He's an orphan…"_ she realized with a shock. She'd never thought about that before. _"That's why he's so quiet…"_

"Tien…" she whispered. "I'm…I'm so sorry…"

He shrugged. "It's okay." he muttered. "It's not like…they were my parents or anything…"

"They're close enough!" she exclaimed. "I mean…what happened to your real parents? Were they killed?"

Tien took a deep breath. "I don't know." he finally sighed.

"How could you not know?" she insisted. "One of them had to be their child…Didn't they tell you?"

"My parents…" Tien muttered again. "Weren't their children."

Kari jumped. Before she could ask another question, Tien answered her. "They found me."

__

"_Found_ you?" Kari gasped.

Tien brushed his hair back from his eyes, gazing sadly at the picture. "Grampa, you see…Accordin' to Gramma, it was about three years ago…He was fishing off the coast when he literally reeled me in."

"Whatta you mean 'according to Gramma?'" Kari asked. "Don't you remember?"

Tien shook his head. "I guess I hit my head or something." he sighed. "I don't remember anything more than about two and a half years ago."

Kari listened intently as he continued. "According to Gramma, she and Grampa had to teach me everything…just about. I'd practically forgotten how to walk, and I could only speak Japanese. And after that…" he shrugged. "Well…I guess since I couldn't remember anything, they decided to take me in."

He sighed, fingering the box carefully. "That all?" Kari asked, although her heart was already racing.

"No…" he muttered, fingering the clasp on the box. "Do…Do you recognize this thing?"

He pulled something out of the box. Kari swallowed hard and her eyes widened.

Tien was holding out a small piece of molded green and white plastic, with a few buttons and a black screen. "W-Wh-Where did you get that?!" she gasped.

"I've always had it." he shrugged. "I dunno what it is, though…Do you?"

Kari stared a moment, then reached down to her own pocket slowly and pulled out an identical object…Only pink. Tien cocked his head curiously. "Then you _do_ know what it is?"

Kari gulped, still not looking at him, exactly. She barely noticed him at all, but was closely studying his face, or rather, his eyes. Those captivating, beautiful blue eyes…She knew she'd seen them before…

"T.K.…" she whispered, then threw her arms around him, crying out with happiness.

The boy jumped. "Kari…what the…heck are you doing?!"

Kari pushed back so she could face him. She was blushing, sheepish, but smiling like she hadn't for years. "You don't get it, do you?" she asked quietly. Reaching forward suddenly, she took his hand and rubbed her cheek against it affectionately. "We thought you were dead…"

"What're talking about…?" Tien asked, confused.

Kari held up his object…the green D-3. "Only one person ever had this." she sighed happily, looking up. "When you washed ashore…from the Sea of Japan, right? That's where the plane went down. That's where T.K. died. At least that's what we think."

He looked at her a moment. Her eyes were sparkling through the tears as she closed the green D-3 into his hand. "Don't you see?" she asked quietly. "T.K.…_Didn't_ die…Tien, _you're_ T.K.!"

Tien…no, make that T.K.…widened his eyes. "There's no way." he gasped.

"There _is_." she urged. "That crash…you must've hit your head! Amnesia…"

Tien/T.K. stared at her a moment. "You're serious about this, aren't you?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" she exclaimed. "There's gotta be some way to help you remember…"

An idea sparked in her mind. She leapt to her feet, dragging the boy behind her. "Do you have a computer?"

"Uh…" he blinked. "Down the hall…"

"Good, come on." Kari pulled him down the hall by the arm. "I've got someone you need to meet…"

~ * ~ * ~

"So everyone has a different smell?" Yolei asked. "And you can describe it?"

"Yep!" Armodillomon laughed. "And the sweeter the smell, the more attractions they get from other humans, depending on their taste."

"For example." Patamon piped, living up for once. Since T.K. had died he'd been gloomy and sad, but he was feeling better today. "Kari smells like peppermints and green tea!"

Everyone snickered behind their hands, except Davis, who quickly demanded. "What about me?"

Gatomon sniffed, then answered. "Fresh cut grass and anchovy pizza."

The group laughed, and then everyone wanted to know what they smelled like: Yolei was instant rice and oil of violet (her favorite lotion) Ken, just like fresh spring rain. And Cody's was elm…the wood his Kendo stick was made of…and the slight hint of peanut butter.

Patamon suddenly perked up his ears. "I hear someone coming." he said.

Veemon leaned forward and sniffed the air his friend indicated the sound was coming from. "It smells like Kari!" he said excitedly.

Gatomon sniffed quietly, then frowned. "She's got someone with her."

"Is it Tai?" Cody asked.

"No…" Patamon followed his friend's leads and took a whiff. Digimon smell is very acute, and sometimes, with a good wind, can be even better than his hearing. "It's… It's T.K.!"

The humans stared at their partners. "Patamon…that can't be right…" Ken gasped. "T.K.'s…dead…"

"No!" Patamon looked like he was about to bust with excitement. "I'd know his smell anywhere! It's just like cherry blossoms and a new basketball! It's gotta be…"

At that moment, Kari appeared through the trees, pulling someone along by the arm. "Come on!" she urged. "This way!"

"I really don't know what the heck is going on here…" the boy muttered as she pulled him into view.

The group stared a moment. "Tien?" Davis asked.

He was going to stare back at them, but Patamon couldn't hold back anymore. With a happy cry, he flew through the air and practically tackled Tien, who fell over from the shock.

"T.K.!" the little creature cried happily, hugging his chest best he could with his short little arms. "Itsyouitsyouitsyouitsyouitsyou!"

The boy stared at him wildly. "What the…?!" was all he could think of to say.

Kari laughed a bit and the others stared at her. "Kari…" Ken said slowly. "What's going on?"

Kari stopped a moment, looking up. "Sit down…" she sighed. "This could take a while."

__

Hey! Be paitent! Matt will show up in the next chapter, I PROMISE!


	5. Lost Memories

__

Matt's back in this one! Also, some memories I've been dying_ to use in my fics FINALLY make their appearance! Yea!_

Can I just ask…WHY IN THE WORLD DOES EVERYONE LIKE MATT SO MUCH?!?

Not that I dislike the guy, you know, but he's not really on my list favorite character. Especially to write for, because he's so bottled up you never know what he's thinking inside.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Feh.

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Lost

Chapter 5: Lost Memories

Matt jolted straight up in a bed of cold sweat. He gasped for breath a moment, then sighed. "Another dream…" he muttered, then stumbled to the bathroom for a cold shower.

These dreams were nothing new. He'd been having them off and on since his brother's death. At one point, after extensive therapy, they'd disappeared all together for about three and a half months. But they always came back.

Sometimes they were nice, happy dreams of self-confidence and remembrance. Happy memories with T.K., when they got to see each other. Sometimes they would be bad memories, times he regretted. Stuff like, if he had known, he wouldn't have gone to that band practice that time they were supposed to go to the movies. He wouldn't have yelled at the little kid so much when he was having a bad day. He wouldn't have been so cold when they were together in the Digital World, which was the most time he ever got…

He wouldn't have.

Then, more often, he'd have terrifying, frightening nightmares. These only came in the two months around the anniversary of that fateful crash. But the most common thing was always the same thing: His little brother, scanning all the different ages he remembered, begging for help that he would never get.

Sometimes it was just the awful memory of him being swept away by the waves. Other times it was the Digimon they'd fought against, about to rip him apart. Each time, T.K. would call to him, stretch for help, then nod sleepily and collapse, just before whatever danger it was fell on him. And the most terrifying, frightening one, the one he just had, the one that came again and again, was this:

_T.K., eight years old, sat playing with something small on the ground before him. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and the little boy was giggling to himself in his own little world. Matt felt relief in the sight, the laughter, the happiness…_

But it wouldn't last. It never did.

With a horrible crash of thunder, the sky above turned midnight black instantly. T.K. looked up in frightened wonder, not noticing the hands reaching out of the ground until they grabbed his legs and arms, pulling him into the earth.

He struggled against them, pushing against the ground and trying to struggle away, but they pulled on and soon he was up to his waist in the earth. "Matt!" he cried, spotting him and reaching out. "Help me! Brother!"

Matt, the real Matt, was rooted to the spot. In his place a younger version of himself…the same age he'd been when first going to the Digital World…burst forward and tried to reach the fighting boy. "T.K.!" he shouted. "Just hang on, I'm coming!"

But no matter how he tried, the younger Matt still couldn't reach his brother. They reached for each other, and Matt's heart panged because he knew what was going to happen in the end.

With a last strangled cry, T.K. disappeared into the ground just as his brother reached him. He grabbed for the last hand, missed and stared helplessly as it vanished. "No…T.K.!" he shouted, clawing at the ground. "Give him back!"

Matt sighed, staring away from the scene. The pain burned in the pit of his heart. But this dream wasn't over yet.

"It's your fault…" the younger version of himself growled, standing angrily. "It's your fault!! You let him die!"

Matt swallowed. "No…" he whispered. "I didn't…I couldn't…"

"Why didn't you help him?!" his younger self raged. "Why?! You said you'd be there for him! Why?!"

Before Matt could react, the other self tackled him, pinning his arms down with his knees. The thing that had been an exact replica of himself had transformed in an unknown dark force, strangling him and squeezing the breath out of his throat.

"It's your fault…" the demon of his guilt growled. "You killed him…You killed your own brother!"

It was always at this point, just when his lungs gave out, that Matt would burst awake. This dream always seamed to come that one day, the day he died. But this year they kept coming back, over and over and over…

Now he dug through his closet, in search of his favorite shirt while trying not to wake his mother. Though his parents were still divorced, Matt spent half of his time with each of them, a month with his dad and a month with his mom. The only bad part was that he slept in T.K.'s old room, in which only one thing had been changed: there was a small picture of the boy, the edges wrapped in black cloth.

"Aha!" he muttered, pulling out the blue and green striped shirt out of the mess. A small avalanche tumbled down on top of him. He groaned and sat back on the ground, rubbing his sore head, before he got a good look at what had hit him.

It was a shoe box, large and old. A small picture was tacked on the top, the last photo they'd taken as a family. Written on it, in blue marker and big, messy, toddler-looking handwriting, was a single word: Memwes.

Matt picked it up. It felt heavier than you would expect, so it obviously wasn't empty. He gave it a curious shake, then lifted the top. The contents made him smile.

There were pictures, dozens of pictures scanning over at least ten years. There were family shots, greatly treasured and dug out of photo albums before their mother could cut Mr. Ishida's face out, and shots from DigiDestined picnics and get-togethers, and a few that were just the two brothers, hanging out together. Keepsakes. And looking through them, it seamed to be that T.K.'d been keeping them since he was four or five.

Matt stopped at laughed at a few at them, enjoying the shots his little brother had picked. There was even one from Kari's ninth birthday party, when Mimi convinced young T.K. that the birthday girl deserved a 'little kiss'. She had, of course, taken the picture just as the naive little fool planted one on Kari's cheek.

In the very bottom of the box, Matt discovered something heavier, thicker, and rounder than a picture. Digging around a moment, he pulled out a shell.

It was the exact half of an oyster shell. The surface was obsidian black, then faded into gentle gray, and then white at the very top. The other side was beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, shining white-silver and reflecting the light around in a pale spectrum.

Matt looked at the thing with a sigh. He had an identical shell sitting on his dresser back at his dad's house, covered with dust. It was an old memory…

_The sun shone through the crystal-clear blue sky, the ocean shown a sparkling blue and the warm, sticky sand of the beach looks soft and inviting._

On a steamy asphalt road running along the cliffs, a bus pulled away from its stop and zipped away, leaving two young boys standing on the curve. The elder was about nine years old, with a deep-thinking look in his eyes. The younger, holding onto the other's hand, looked around curiously.

"Matt, where are we?" T.K. asked, looking up at the other boy. "Where've you taken me, big brother?"

"To the beach." Matt smiled, shrugging. "That's what you wanted, right?"

T.K.'s eyes lit up and his brother lead him down the stairs. Once they hit the sand, however, the younger broke away and ran forward, laughing and giggling. "Wow! Lookie, Matt!" he pointed out into the sea. "I've never seen so much water in my whole life!"

"Pretty, isn't it?" Matt asked, catching up with him.

"Yeah…" T.K. suddenly sat down and started pulling off his socks and shoes. Once barefoot, he stood and rushed forward into the waves. "Come on Matt!" he called. "Let's play!"

Matt hesitated a moment, then pulled off his shoes and ran after him. T.K. waded gingerly out into the ocean, feeling the mud folding over his feet and wiggling his toes in it. "It's so soft!" he laughed, sinking a bit.

Matt followed after. "Yeah." he laughed, shivering. "And cold!"

T.K. was, once again, not listening. Like most kindergarteners, he had an attention span of about two and a half seconds. "Dere's something down here." he muttered, squatting down and shifting through the mud with his fingers. "It's hard…and black…and…Oh!"

He leapt up suddenly and ran over to his brother, grinning broadly. "Lookie, Matt!" he exclaimed. "Look look look look look!"

Matt had a look. It was a pretty black shell, with a shiny silver inside. It was the exact half of it, broken at the joint. It really was quite a find, for a five year old. "Cool."

T.K. nodded happily, put the shell carefully into his pocket, then hurried down the beach for a perfect place to build a sand castle. And for the next hour and a half he worked on it, quite content, as Matt wandered around the shore, thinking his own private thoughts.

He suddenly heard his brother crying: "Give it back! Give it back!"

Matt spun around. A couple of older kids, sixth graders, had appeared from the cliffs. One of them, obviously the leader, was holding T.K.'s shell above his head and laughing as the small boy tried to jump for it.

"You really want it, twerp? I don't think so…It's so pretty, I think I'll just keep it." the leader sneered, then pushed the five year old over. He landed square on the castle he'd worked so hard to build, demolishing it instantly. T.K. stared at it a moment, then burst into tears.

The sixth graders laughed cruelly, when the leader suddenly hit the ground with a cry. Matt, rushing forward, had tackled him and soon a fight had started.

After a few minutes the leader scrambled to his feet. "Here, take the stupid shell!" he cried, throwing it into the sand at Matt's feet. "Let's get outta here!"

The group scrambled off. Matt sighed, brushed of his hands, bent down and retrieved the shell. Then he turned to his brother, still sitting in the sand and crying. "There now." he soothed, holding the token out. "I got your shell back, see? It's okay…"

T.K. sniffed, took the shell, then gazed sadly at the rubble that had been his sand castle. "Don't you worry." Matt assured, smoothing the sand out. "We'll rebuild it, you'll see. It'll be better than ever!"

T.K. nodded, smiling a bit, then pointed at Matt's hand. "Hey." he said quietly. "What's that?"

Matt cocked his head, then looked into the sand. Something there was showing out, a dark, dark, dark black. He dug it out, and held it up to be an identical shell. In fact, it was the same shell. It had simply broken at the joint.

"Wow…" T.K. whispered, tears gone. "So cool…"

Matt contemplated a moment, then leaned forward. "I'll tell you what, T.K." he said. "I'll keep this half, and you keep the other. That way, even if mom and dad do get divorced, and we have to live away from each other, we'll remember that I promise to take you back here someday. Alright?"

T.K.'s eyes sparkled happier as they started to rebuild his castle. "Really, Matt?" he asked, holding out his half. "You promise?"

"Yeah." Matt agreed, connecting the shells. "I promise."

The two worked in silent a bit, fixing the castle, until T.K. spoke again. "Hey Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the bestest big brother."

Matt sighed, shaking his head as he put the shell back in its place and slide the box back on the shelf. "Yeah…" he muttered savagely under his breath, kicking the wall. "So if I'm such a great brother, why couldn't I save him?"

There was a knock at the door. "Yeah, come in!" Matt called, pulling his shirt on.

His mother opened the door. "You've got some visitors."

Davis and Ken appeared behind her, grinning strangely. "Hey Matt." Davis grinned, entering in. "What's new?"

"Not much." Matt sighed, pulling himself up. "What's with you two? I'll take it you're not just here for a joyride."

"Well…" Ken glanced at Davis out of the corner of his eye. The goggle boy gave his friend a stupid, lopsided grin. "We've got a little…_surprise_ for you."

"A surprise?" Matt cocked his head. "What?"

"You'll see." Davis grinned, pulling a bandana out of his pocket. "Put this on, we wouldn't wanna spoil it."

Before Matt could protest, he'd been blindfolded and quickly transferred into the Digital World. "What's going on?" he asked, groping around the woods as the two younger boys lead him forward. "What're you guys planning?"

"You'll see." Davis laughed again.

"Just a little further…" Ken noted.

Matt heard sounds in the distance. Voices. He recognized Kari, Yolei, Cody and the Digimon, but one voice was different. He knew it from somewhere, but he just couldn't put his finger on it…

"I still don't understand what we're waiting for…" the new voice was saying when he felt the trees part and they stepped into the clearing.

"We're here!" Davis announced.

"About time." Kari sighed. Matt heard footsteps and a moment later, Kari was patting his arm in greeting. "This is gonna be strange…" she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Matt asked, but she had moved on and turned to the other voice.

"T.K.…" Matt froze when he heard the word. Kari quickly undid his blindfold and pulled it away. "…Meet your brother."

A seventeen year old boy stared back at Matt with curious blue eyes. His hair was the same golden blonde, and just as messy. He had a full six-foot frame and a wondering expression.

Matt's eyes narrowed. "This isn't funny, guys." he growled in a low tone. "Not funny one bit."

"Funny?" Yolei asked.

"I'm not stupid." Matt stuffed his hands into his pockets. "He's…dead…Has been for years. You can't just pull some kid in who looks like 'em and make me think…"

"It's no joke, Matt." Cody put in. "Look, even Patamon recognizes him."

Matt looked back up. Patamon was indeed sitting on the boy's head, curled up. He never did that to anybody, not even Matt or Kari. T.K. had been the only one Patamon trusted or loved enough to do that…

"Then…Then…" Matt stammered. "I-If he really _is…_H-How come he doesn't…?"

"Recognize you?" Hawkmon put in. "His memories are missing, I'm afraid."

"Amnesia, Matt." Kari explained, tapping her head. "He hit his head in the water after you saw him disappear. All his memories are totally wiped."

Matt nodded, understanding. "So you think that me showing him around will help?" he asked slowly, glancing around at them.

Everyone nodded, except T.K. Kari started to wonder if Matt was actually happy to see his brother…nothing seamed to have changed.

"Fine." Matt looked up, trying to hide the fact that he was really overjoyed, but a smile was crossing his lips. "I'd be…glad to…"

T.K. glanced around at everyone. "Is that okay with you, T.K.?" Kari asked.

He shrugged, then nodded. "Great!" Davis clapped his hand on T.K.'s back. "We'll just leave you two alone for a while, and meet you back her tomorrow!"

The group trickled out, and Matt was left alone with his brother. The younger shifted his weight nervously, not knowing what to say.

"Okay then." Matt slide up to his side. For a moment he was tempted to through his arms around him, but recomposed himself and stuck just putting his arm over T.K.'s shoulders as they walked off. "I know just where to go…"


	6. Lost Son

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Hm hm hm…This is quite popular. I like it, I like it! (Gimme some suggestions though…I need it!!!) I do have a new enemy planned just up ahead…Read on!

Yes, yes, I know that beach thing was kinda taken from Yu-Gi-Oh! But I did change it a little bit, the timing and stuff. Not to mention, they'd never let bullies pick on little Serenity!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but this fic is mine…

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Lost

Chapter 6: Lost Son

The sun shone through the crystal-clear blue sky, the ocean shown a sparkling blue and the warm, sticky sand of the beach looks soft and inviting. On a steamy asphalt road running along the cliffs, a bus pulled away from its stop and zipped away, leaving the two young boys standing on the curve.

T.K. glanced around the beach and cliffs curiously. "Where are we?" he asked, glancing over at Matt. "We're we going?"

Matt smiled, still trying to recompose himself. "To the beach." he said simply, leading his brother over to the steps down the cliff.

He pulled half of the shell out of his right pocket and handed it to his brother. T.K. took it, looking curiously, as Matt pulled his own half out of the other pocket. "You…You may not remember this…" he mutter, blushing slightly. "But…we've been here once before…and I promised to bring you back someday…"

"Really?" T.K. asked, looking at the shell in his hand. He thought for a moment, then connected the two shells. "That's neat."

Matt smiled a bit wider. He didn't really remember, that was obvious, but he did have a _slight_ sense…Besides, this would give them a chance to get to know each other all over again.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and set foot in the sand. T.K. took a few steps in, then crouched down to take a closer look at the sand, running his hands through it.

"It's warm…" he muttered quietly, picking up a handful and letting it run back to the ground. "Feels good."

Matt nodded. It was still so amazing to him…his brother, his little brother, alive and well. His emotions were all jumbled up inside about this…he didn't know wither to be happy or sad or excited or anything…

He shook of his worries and looked out over the ocean. "Water looks pretty today, doesn't it?"

T.K. didn't look up. "I'm not crazy about the ocean…" he muttered again. "It's too cold…"

Matt looked at him a moment, then sat down beside him on the beach. "Bro…Tell me something…" T.K. looked up. "What was it like? Living in China, I mean…"

T.K. sighed gently, and looking out onto the ocean. "We…we lived near the coast…" he muttered. "But I didn't go down to the beach much…To tell the truth…" he looked down with a sigh. "I'm terrified of the ocean."

Matt stared. Okay, _this _ was different. The T.K. he knew always used to love the sea, the view from Odiva was his favorite place.

Of course, it was understandable. He'd almost drowned, after all, he only survived because some old man had hauled him out in a fishing boat. And he didn't even remember it…or him…he didn't remember who he was anymore.

Matt sighed once again, trying to make sense of it all. Then he stood, brushing the sand off his pants. "Okay then…" he sighed. "If this makes you uncomfortable, we can always do something else."

"Like what?" the younger asked, following after.

_"Good question."_ Matt muttered in his mind.

"Well…" he said out loud, contemplating a moment. "How 'bout a movie or something? You know, just to…get used to each other again."

T.K. looked confused a moment "Okay then…" he said slowly, smiling. "A movie sounds good to me."

Matt smiled, just a bit, and they headed back up the steps for the bus stop.

~ * ~ * ~

Although not a speak of T.K.'s memories came back, the two had quite a nice time that day. After a movie back in Odiva, Matt commenced to showing his brother around town. There were a lot of his old places to see…old hangouts, the school, and they even took a quick ride over to Heighten View Terrise to see if anything popped up there. Nothing did, but it was still nice.

After a few games one-on-one basketball at the school's outdoor court, in which Matt got soundly beat (he never was to good at the sport) T.K. glanced up at the inky black sky above their court. "It's getting late." he mentioned, pointing out the stars. "'Suppose we should call it a day?"

"Okay then." Matt sighed, glad for an excuse to stop playing. He picked up his bag and turned the direction towards his mother's apartment. "Come on, let's get home."

T.K. nodded, but started in the other direction. Matt, realizing this, chased after him and grabbed his brother by the shoulder. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Home?" T.K. shrugged. "I live over…"

"Not tonight you don't." Matt wheeled his brother around in the other direction. "You might as well get back used to it…It's your house, after all."

T.K. put up some protests, but of course they didn't work and Matt herded him down to their mother's apartment.

"Here we are!" he exclaimed, opening the door. "Home sweet home!"

He pushed his brother back inside. T.K. slid a bit on the rug, then looked around in curiosity. "This is…'Home'?"

"Yup…" Matt glanced around. It _was_ a little messy…his mother had been so busy three days straight that the place had kinda gone the way of a college dorm. There was a pile of dishes in the sink, and a hamper full of clothes on the kitchen table. And it was so dusty that Joe would go into an asthma attack. In fact, it looked…well, it looked rather like their father's apartment on a bad day.

"Well…Mom's been busy." he shrugged for an explanation, then entered the kitchen. "You want somethin' to eat?"

"Nah…" T.K. glanced at the clock. It was 9:47. "I think…If it's okay with you… I'd rather just hit the sack…"

"Okay then." Matt shut the cabinet and smiled. "Come on…It'll show you…your room…"

He lead the way down the hall, and T.K. followed. Matt opened the door and was pleased at the wondering look that flooded his brother's face when he saw his room.

His mother had always been loose with him, so she let him decorate his room however he wanted. There were basketball posters hanging over the desk on one wall, and a large bookshelf on the other. A dresser was next to the desk, and the bed was across from them, with the same green cover he'd always liked.

"Here you are." Matt said, pointing to the bed. "Get yourself a good night's sleep, okay? You look pretty beat."

"But…" T.K. looked around. "Isn't this…your room?"

Matt shrugged. "Not really." he sighed. "It's…yours. I just stay here." he grinned at him, waving it away. "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch, okay?"

T.K. looked at him a moment, then gave a wary smile. "Okay, you win…" he sighed, sitting on the bed. "Goodnight…bro."

Matt's smile widened a bit and he nodded. "That's right…" he muttered, shutting the door. "Goodnight, bro."

~ * ~ * ~

Nancy quietly entered the apartment. It was almost midnight, and she didn't want to wake Matt. She'd see him in the morning anyway.

To her surprise, the university student wasn't in his room like he should be. He was lying on the couch, spread out under a spare comforter, fast asleep. But…why should he be sleeping _there_ of all places? Was there something wrong…?

"Matt." she whispered, shaking him. "Matt, wake up."

The young man stirred, looking up sleepily. "Hey mom." he yawned. "What's up?"

"That's what I would like to know." his mother sounded worried. "Why are you sleeping in here? Why aren't you in your room?"

"Oh…" Matt seamed to think about that a moment, then grinned sheepishly. "Okay mom…There's something you should see."

He lead his mother down the hall until they reached the door of that room. Before he opened it he pressed a finger to his lips. "Be careful not to wake him." he whispered.

"Wake…who?" Nancy asked, but Matt shushed her before opening the door.

She peaked in. Another blonde-haired boy was curled inside the sheets in her son's place. Matt beckoned her in and for a moment they stood at the bedside, looking down at the figure.

Nancy wavered. That boy…She'd seen him before. But there was no way…_no way_…

"Yeah." Matt nodded, reading his mother's expression. "It is."

Nancy shook her head in disbelief, then looked down at the boy in wonder. "You mean…?" she whispered quietly, her hand shaking. "I don't care how or why. My baby…my little boy…Is alive!"

Matt had a quick fight with himself on whether to hold her back so she didn't wake him or let her hug her youngest son for the first time in three years. He didn't have long to think about it, though, because T.K. began squirming and groaning in his sleep.

"What's wrong?" Nancy whispered in a hushed gasp. "What's the matter?"

"It's just a nightmare." Matt hissed back. "Kari told me he'd been having problems…but I don't know what we can…"

Nancy suddenly reached forward and dropped to her knees as she did. Before Matt could stop her she was cradling T.K.'s head in her arms, running her fingers lovingly through his hair. "Mom…" Matt gasped, surprised. "What're you…?"

His mother wasn't listening. She was humming a slow, peaceful tune, the lullaby she had used to soothe the boys to sleep when they were babies. Almost instantly, T.K.'s body relaxed. His features eased up and took on a more childish glow.

"That's my baby." Nancy whispered lovingly. "That's my little boy."

T.K. was snuggling up to her hands and purring like a kitten. His eyes opened half-way and looked at her, but not enough to really see. His lips smiled slightly and opened to mutter a single word, like a baby learning to speak: "Ma…ma…"

His eyes closed again, fast asleep. Nancy gaped a moment, then kissed her son on the forehead, still whispering. "My boy…my baby…"

Matt stared at his mother and brother a moment, shocked. _He…He remembered her…_ he thought wildly. _He may be asleep…but he **remembered** her!_


	7. Lost Enemy

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The good thing about these fics: I don't have to sit with and pick the petals off a flower saying "They like it, they hate it, they like it, they hate it…" to figure out if you guys enjoy it or not. Thank you, FF.Net…

I'm sorry, but I've never said this out loud: I KNOW that it's really Odaiba, not Odiva, but the former makes my head spin every time I read it so I really prefer my way. Besides, you know what I mean.

This chapter takes a very strange twist down the road…Trust me, you'll see…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but this story is mine and mine alone! Bleh!

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Lost

Chapter 7: Lost Enemy

BOING BOING BOING! Plop…

__

T.K. and Kari laughed together, tickled pink by the pillow-like streets of Primary Village. The bouncing deposited them in the grassy town square, a white fountain pouring crystal-clear water over it.

"This place is great!" T.K. laughed.

"I knew you'd like it." Kari giggled. "It's one of your favorite places!"

Patamon grabbed Gatomon in mid-bounce and took flight, her momentum sending them flying into one of the squishy, soft buildings.

Kari laughed again, then glanced at T.K. with a sigh. Matt had reported everything about his mother, and everyone had gotten their hopes up…At least until he told them that right after he'd woken up, he hadn't recognized her in the slightest.

_"Well, this proves one thing." _Ken had come up with a theory to check with Izzy later on. _"His memories are still in there, in his subconscious. When he was asleep they took over for a while. So we've just got to bring that subconscious out."_

So what had Matt done? He'd come to her. He'd remembered T.K.'s letter to her, and figured she'd know exactly how to help. So there she was with him, at Primary Village, having the time of her life. And she really had to admit: She was falling in love with him all over again. But without his memories, did T.K. feel the same way?

Involuntarily, she yawned. T.K. looked over, smiling gently. "Tired?" he asked.

"A little…" she admitted, rubbing her eyes. For some reason she was sleepy more than anything else.

T.K. stood, helping her up, and pointed to the tree off to one side. "Why don't we take a little rest?" he asked calmly, but Kari could see his ears turning red with blush. "A break can't hurt."

"I'd like that." Kari whispered as he lead her over. 

She sat down next to him, nervous. T.K. glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and gulped. "You know, Kari…" he said slowly, looking out into the blue sky. "It's strange…You keep telling me I should know all these people…all these things… but…" he glanced at her. "You're the only one I know anything about…"

Kari looked up, surprised. "You mean…do you _remember _me?!"

"Well, not _I_ exactly…" T.K. muttered again, this time looking down at the grass. "But…I have had…dreams…"

"Dreams?!" Kari sat up straight. For a moment she remembered what she'd heard him muttering in his sleep, calling for her before fading into a nightmare. "What kind of dreams?"

"…Strange ones…" he muttered, looking down. He was tracing something in the grass out of nervousness or anxiety. It took Kari a few minutes of watching to realize the shape was the Crest of Hope. "But it…really doesn't matter…"

"Sure it does!" Kari insisted. "Please, tell me…what were they about?"

T.K. was quiet for a moment, then he looked up with a sigh. "Well…Foggy, for one thing. And I can never see…a thing…But there's a voice…"

"Voice?" Kari asked slowly. "What kind of voice?"

"Yours." he said shortly. "It's your voice."

Kari had the expected reaction, mouthing "My…voice?" silently to herself. Then T.K. shook the idea out of his head and looked up again.

"Yeah…" he whispered, trying to pull the dream back. "And…a scream…and a laugh…dark and evil…cold…I hate it so badly…and then…" he shrugged. "I wake up."

"Just wake up?" Kari gasped. "That's all?!" T.K. just nodded. Kari sighed, looking down. "That's…all…"

"Well…yeah." T.K. shrugged. "What were you hoping for?"

"Oh…nothing…" Kari sighed. "I just hoped that…well, maybe you had a memory of me in there somewhere…something…"

T.K. looked at her a moment, then reached forward suddenly and took her hands in both of his. "Kari…" he whispered, locking eyes with her. "I don't need to remember you." He leaned forward, still not taking his eyes off of her, and she couldn't look away from him. "I've never…forgotten you…"

Kari's mind raced to what that might mean, but she didn't have too long to think about it. His intent was obvious, and she closed her eyes to accept a long-awaited, long-dreamed about kiss…

A dark laugh suddenly filled the air. T.K. froze, looking up wildly in alarm. "What is it?" Kari asked, a little upset at being interrupted before they could touch. "What's the matter?"

"That…laugh…" T.K. whispered in shock. "It's…from my dream…"

Kari stopped too, then scrambled to her feet. "Gatomon!" she called. "Patamon!"

The two Rookies scrambled over. Gatomon leapt in front of Kari, and Patamon hovered over T.K.'s head. Both of them were tense and ready for a fight. "There's something evil coming this way…" Gatomon growled.

Patamon was worse than her, shaking a bit with either rage or fear maybe both. "It's…It's _him…_" he whispered.

Kari looked up. "W-Who?" she asked, though afraid of the answer.

"Devimon."

The laugh grew so loud it was painful. Kari and T.K. both tried to cover their ears without avail as it ricocheted off the walls of their brain and played a symphony on their ear drums.

"It's…awful…" Kari groaned. "What a terrible laugh…"

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. But standing in front of them was a tall, humanoid Digimon. He was almost completely covered in pure black armor, trimmed with pale silver all over. The only place exposed was his head,, which was none to pleas tent to look at itself.

"Well well well…" he laughed deeply. "So we meet again, young Takaishai."

T.K. uncovered his ears, then glanced over at Kari. "Who is this guy?" he asked. "Am I…supposed to know him?"

Kari didn't want to answer him. After BlackWarGreymon, she'd gone to Tai and made him explain everything to her about what had happened before she came. She knew that Devimon was T.K.'s worst enemy, and now he was probably coming after him for revenge…

_"Even if it kills me…" _she thought desperately. _"I'll never let him hurt T.K.…"_

"As you can see, I've changed quite a bit since we've last met." the fallen angel laughed. "The Dark Whirlpool's energy has greatly increased my strength. I am no longer Devimon, but…you can call me MagnaDevimon."

"MagnaDevimon, huh?" Patamon growled. "I don't care what you call yourself, you'll never beat me!"

"Oh no, little rodent?" MagnaDevimon laughed. "You seam to have forgotten, but you were hardly a match for me eight years ago. You really think you can handle me now?"

"You bet I can!" Patamon snapped, turning back to his partner. "T.K., let me Digivolve and fight this creep!"

"Digi…what?" T.K. asked, confused once again.

His three friends let out a depressed sigh. Kari recomposed herself in a moment. "Alright then, we'll handle this!" she exclaimed. "Digi-Armor…ENERGIZE!!"

Gatomon, Armor Digivolve to…Nefertimon! 

"Rosetta Stone!"

But Nefertimon's attack just grazed off MagnaDevimon like it was nothing, the shattered stones clambering to the ground before they disappeared. "Ah…No!" Patamon exclaimed.

"Out of my way!" MagnaDevimon slashed one suddenly giant hand forward and sent both of the Digimon flying. Gatomon and Patamon hit the ground, wounded.

Kari cried after her partner, then spun around to face the evil Digimon. He was laughing evilly at them, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "Now for you, my young opponent." he laughed, turning for T.K.

"Hurry, come on!" Kari snatched up T.K.'s hand and pulled him along behind her.

"What about those two?!" T.K. called, pointing to Gatomon and Patamon.

"He'll leave them alone now, it's _you_ he's after!" Kari gasped, diving into the trees.

"Why's he want me?" T.K. still shouted as the dodged trees and rocks. "What'd I do?"

"T.K.…" Kari gasped. "I don't have time to explain right now, but as soon as you're…"

Before she could finish her sentence MagnaDevimon's voice rang out behind them. "Hell's Fire!" he cried, and next thing they knew they were flying through the air in the blast of an attack.

Kari dropped to the ground, and T.K. disappeared behind a hill twenty meters away. Kari was stunned, she could hardly move, but she heard MagnaDevimon's cruel voice chanting in a strange tongue, she suspected it was Digicode, and a wave of dark energy. The last thing she heard before passing out was: "Ah…That should be enough for now. But I'll be back sooner than you think…"

Kari burst awake. The first thing that rocked her brain was: How long have I been out? And the second was: What happened to T.K.?

"Kari!" Gatomon whispered, leaning over her partner. "You're okay!"

"T.K.!" Kari gasped, taking no heed of her partner and leaping to her feet. "T.K., where are you?"

"He's over here!" Patamon called. He was hovering over the location on the other side of the hill. "T.K.'s over here but…oh gosh…"

"What is it?" Kari gasped, scrambling up the hill. "Please tell me he's not dead!"

"No…" Gatomon agreed. "He's not dead, but…"

Kari clambered to her feet at the top of the hill and looked down, then covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh…" she whispered. "T.K.…"

Lying below her, wrapped in clothes that were way to big for him, was a little blonde-haired boy of about eight years old, fast asleep.


	8. We're Lost, But We're Making Good Time

__

Ah ha! I told you I'd have strange twists! That comes from way too many Dr. Peppers way too late at night when I really should be doing my math homework!

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Disclaimer: If I ever own Digimon, pigs will fly, hell will freeze over, and there will be peace in the Middle East.

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Lost

Chapter 8: We're Lost, But We're Making Good Time

"Kari…What the heck is going on here?" Tai asked, looking down at the child Kari had brought back from the Digital World.

"I have no idea." Kari muttered. "You called Matt already, right?"

Tai nodded. The boy was definitely T.K., you could tell that, but an eight-year-old version. He was short, with short legs and arms, and his hair was messier than ever. He was fast asleep on Kari's bed, bundled up with his original shirt long enough to hide his knees and the pants hanging loose on their belt. Patamon was sitting on the shelf with Gatomon, keeping a careful watch.

"I don't know how we're gonna explain this." Tai groaned, putting a hand on his forehead and closing his eyes.

The child stirred, then yawned a wide yawn. Tai and Kari froze as he sat up sleepily, rubbed his eyes, then looked up at them. "Where am I?" he asked, and his voice was just as childish as he was.

"Uh…" Kari glanced at Tai, then attempted to make it all make sense. "You're… at our house…"

T.K. looked around. "Okay then…" he seamed weary, but still with that childish innocence they always had. "But…who are you two?"

"Oh great." Tai rolled his eyes. "Please tell me we don't have to re-teach him everything again."

T.K. suddenly spotted something he recognized. "Hey, Patamon!" he called, scrambling over to the shelf. "There you are!"

"T.K., are you okay?" Patamon asked, hovering slightly above his head.

"Of course I'm okay!" T.K. laughed, jumping up just a bit to grab his Digimon in a hug.

Kari and Tai blinked. "Okay, scratch that." Kari muttered under her breath.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Tai called, then hurried out to the hall to answer it.

Matt stood in the corridor, breathing hard because he'd run all the way over. "What's…going…on?" he panted.

"Come on, get in!" Tai pulled his friend into the apartment and pushed him down the hall to his sister's room.

Kari looked up as they entered. "Good, you're here!" she sighed with relief. "We have a serious problem…"

The little boy looked up, then his face spread into a smile. "Hiya, Matt!" he laughed, then looked confused. "You changed your hair."

Matt blinked, then automatically lifted a hand to his hair to make sure it didn't seam any different than the day before. It wasn't. Then he stared down at the suddenly much-younger boy. "Is this…?"

"Yup." Tai sighed.

"This is weird…" Kari muttered, looking between Matt and her brother. "He recognizes you, but not either of us."

T.K. just grinned, really not knowing what was happening, then went back to talking to Gatomon and Patamon. Matt just stood there a moment, then looked up at Kari. "What the heck happened?!"

~ * ~ * ~

"I see…" Izzy contemplated a moment. "So this is all MagnaDevimon's fault…"

"And his memory?" Kari asked over the phone, leaning on her desk. It was about ten o'clock that night, and Matt had already taken the little T.K. home. Their mother's reaction was…to be expected (T.K. gave her one smile and she fainted on the couch). "He remembered Matt, Patamon, and his mother, but not me or Tai. What's up with that?"

"Well…" Izzy took a bite of the cheese platter on his table, looking out the window at the darkened sky. "I believe that MagnaDevimon must have taken him back in time, so that his body and mind all are at eight years of age. In that case, his memories would be exactly the same way they were when he was eight years old."

"So…why wouldn't he know me and Tai?"

"Think about it, Kari." Izzy muttered. "At eight years old, he would only know you and Tai for about six months, max. And he would expect you, in particular, to be his size."

"Yeah, but Tai towered over him even then…" Kari glanced at the picture beside her. It was the one they'd taken just before leaving the Digital World, and the one beside it was T.K. and herself in New York. "So how could he not…?"

"If he suddenly loses his goggles and stretches about half a foot up, that looks pretty different to an eight year old." Izzy sighed.

"And Matt?"

"They're brothers." Izzy shrugged again. "He'd know him by the face, even if his hair did change."

"So…He probably won't recognize the rest of us." Kari muttered, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "But he does remember us, right?"

"Of course he does." Izzy sighed. "But I don't think we should tell him anything just yet…It'd be too big of a shock for the poor kid, finding out that his best friends are all suddenly twice as old as he is."

Kari nodded. "I guess you're right…" she whispered. "Goodnight, Izzy."

"Goodnight."

Kari hung up the phone. With a sigh, she leaned over her desk and fingered the picture from New York. _"Oh T.K.…"_ she thought quietly. _"I was so sick of missing you…I wanted the old T.K. back, but not like this…"_

In thought, two fingers raised to touch her lips. Ruminations of just before they met MagnaDevimon sparked in her mind. She crossed to her bed, fell onto it face-first, and sobbed helplessly into her pillow.

"…We were…so close…" she whispered through the tears. "So close…"

~ * ~ * ~

MagnaDevimon sighed to himself, swinging down another bottle of his special Nectar. It was a dark red-purple and looked kind of like wine, except that it bubbled and fizzed in a special way. However, he didn't just drink it for fun, he needed it.

"Master?" a HoneyBeemon asked quietly from his side. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes!" he muttered. "I'm fine, as long as I keep supplied with the Nectar!"

The HoneyBeemon took the hint and scrambled away to get more of the sweet liquid to fill his master's huge glass. It bubbled and frothed for a moment, then simmered down so MagnaDevimon gulped it down, too.

HoneyBeemon approached carefully again. "Master…May I ask…Why did you not simply destroy that boy, instead of wasting most of your energy on transforming him into a child?"

The Master sighed quietly. "Because, HoneyBeemon…" he growled. "I wish to destroy what I hate so…But that boy had forgotten who he was. With or without his Digimon…There's no pleasure in destroying a boy I don't know."

"Oh, I see." HoneyBeemon agreed, filling his glass again. "So you turned him into the boy you knew, and now you're letting your energy rest until it's powered up enough?"

"True." MagnaDevimon laughed. "But also not.…I always love to have a little fun with my victims before their end…"


	9. Hopelessly Lost

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Sorry if the last chapter was a little short. I just figured it'd be better if I moved a bit of the ending over here, instead, for the beginning. It gets…kinda confusing (I'm having a few problems…IDEAS PLEASE!!)

This chapter was really hard to write…having Kari talk to him as a little kid was just awful…Not to mention, I was at the school until 9 ever night for the play…Ugh. Hope you like it, them.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have and never will.

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Lost

Chapter 9: Hopelessly Lost

The phone rang at about 9 in the morning. Kari picked it up on the third ring. "Hello, Kamiya residence." she muttered. "Kari speaking."

"Hello, Kari, dear." Ms. Takaishai's voice came through the receiver. "I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it, Nancy?" Kari started to get a little worried. It was only about three days since T.K. had changed back to his child body, and the mother had been very protective since then. "Something the matter?"

"Well…" the mother seamed a little nervous. "You see, I'm busy with a job today, but Matt's got something big planned with his band and I don't want to keep him here. So, I was wondering if…you'd come over and…"

"Baby-sit T.K.?" Kari asked sweetly, then slapped herself mentally. _What the heck am I saying?!_

"Oh, you know…" Ms. Takaishai was awkward. "He just seams so…so _helpless_ like this, you know? As opposed to how he used to be…I just want someone here to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Kari nodded. "I understand, Ms. Takaishai." she said calmly. "I'll be right over."

"Thank you…" Ms. Takaishai sighed, and was about to hang up the phone before Kari cried out to stop.

"Hang on!" she exclaimed. "We can't tell T.K. who I am, remember? He'll never understand now!"

"Oh…I know." Nancy sighed. "But what if we used a different name? One that sounded like your name, but wasn't?"

"Different name?" Kari asked. "Like what?"

"Well…how about Karen?" Nancy gave a bit of a smile on the other end of the phone. "It's close enough, don't you think? He'd never know!"

"Well…okay, I guess…" Kari sighed, secretly feeling guilty about lying to him. "Goodbye, Ms. Takaishai."

With that, she hung up the phone, then looked longingly at two of the pictures on the wall. A long-treasured DigiDestined picture moment, when the younger six tried to make a human pyramid. One was of the finished stack, but the other was taken just for a laugh, a funny memory.

T.K. had been on the lower left corner, Ken next to him on the right and Davis next to him. Kari and Yolei made up the second layer, Kari on the left and Yolei on right. Cody, being the smallest, was at the top of the point. However, Davis had sneezed, sending the whole pile collapsing on top of each other. T.K.'s arm had shot out under Kari, who'd landed in it with his other arm pressed on top of her when Cody landed on it, and Yolei had scrambled back so as not to hit Davis, pushing Kari up against the boy. The two opened their eyes a moment later, to find that Kari was in his arms, their lips only inches apart. Both had flushed red and that was, of course, when Tai had snapped the picture.

Kari sighed, circling the boy's face with her finger. "Why can't we ever get a break?" she asked the air, then left to head over to the Takaishai residence.

~ * ~ * ~

Ms. Takaishai opened the door of her apartment, smiling warmly to welcome in the old family friend. "Hello, Kari…uh, I mean, Karen." she said with a smile. "Thanks again for coming over."

"No problem, Ms. Takaishai." Kari said calmly, setting her bag down and taking off her shoes as she entered.

The mother turned. "T.K.!" she called. "I'm leaving now!"

"Okay…" the little boy appeared at the doorway, smiling as always. He locked eyes with Kari and smiled a bit wider. "Hi. You're the girl from the other day, right?"

Kari smiled just a bit and nodded. "This is Karen." Nancy said, obviously awkward as well. "She'll be here until I come back, okay?"

"Okie-dokie!" T.K. laughed, and with a final goodbye, his mother left.

Kari stood there, facing the little boy a bit nervously. The child looked up at her, a questioning look on his face, then smiled. "Hi, Karen." he laughed. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi there." she muttered, blushing a bit.

T.K. sat there and stared at her a moment, then got an idea. "Come on!" he laughed suddenly, jumping forward and grabbing her hand. "I want you to see somethin' in my room!"

The eight-year-old tugged his 'babysitter' into the farthest room in the back. Kari recognized Patamon sitting motionless on the bed, pretending to be a stuffed toy. As it was, Gatomon was hiding in her backpack.

"Sit down." T.K. urged, pulling her over to the bed. "I'll just be a minute."

Kari sat down on the mattress, then looked down at the little orange creature. "Hey Patamon." she whispered.

"Hey." the thing whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Where's Gatomon?"

"Might mere." Kari's pack muttered, and the girl nodded, setting the bag on the bed so the two could talk to each other.

T.K. was digging around in his closet. "Hey, Karen?" he called over his shoulder. "Do you know a girl named Kari?"

Kari stiffened. "Well…Y-Yes!" she gulped. "W-Why do you ask?"

"You look a lot like her." the little boy said, turning back to his work. "She's real nice, too. She's probably my best friend!"

"Oh…really?" Kari asked quietly, very shy.

"Uh huh." he continued to dig, confused now and muttering to himself. "Where'd I put that? It was right he last time I looked!" he glanced around a bit, then looked up. "There it is!" he exclaimed, pulling a box of a low shelf. "How'd it get there?"

"What is it?" Kari asked as he brought it over to him. It was a shoe box, large and old. A small picture was tacked on the top, the last photo they'd taken as a family. Written on it, in blue marker and big, messy, toddler-looking handwriting, was a single word: Memwes.

"I want you to see some pictures!" T.K. laughed, pulling the lid off the shoe box. And indeed, it was filled with dozens and dozens of photos. He reached in and pulled one out. "See? This is the one our friend Mimi took at Kari's birthday!"

Kari picked it up and couldn't help but smiling. There she was, nine years old, wearing a little pink party hat on her head and a small wrapped package in her hands. T.K., wearing that same white hat he'd worn since Diaboromon had attacked the internet, was leaning over his shoulder and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"How cute." she cooed, putting it back in the box. "Do you _like_ her?"

He blushed, looking down. "Well…sortta…" he stammered, turning pink. "I mean…well, she _is_ cute, don't you think?"

"Very cute." Kari smiled, playing along. "I bet she likes you a lot."

"I…guess so…" he said sheepishly, combing through the pictures. Kari smiled. He seamed so content, now, so unknowing…so happy…

That all sudden stopped. His hand had drifted to a familiar picture, one he should have known but didn't. Two teenagers, framed by the backdrop of New York City, standing together and smiling happily. Kari froze as he turned it over and read what he himself had put on the back: _"Me & Kari…I still wish it wasn't over."_

"Kari…" he whispered to himself, holding the picture up. Past it, he could see the older girl, and the resemblance was obvious. He set the picture down. "You…You _are _Kari, aren't you?"

Before Kari could answer him, there was a sudden explosion from outside and the window in front of them suddenly crashed inward. Kari dove forward and covered the boy from the flying debris. 

They looked up at a high-pitched laugh. A young girl, about ten years old, hovered above them, barefoot and wearing a long, floppy, dark purple robe. Her hair was long and red, wafting loosely in the wind, and her eyes were a sparkling green. She giggled, looking down at them. "Hi there." she laughed down. "Let's play."

"Play…?" Kari wondered, looking up. "What…is this…?"

"Don't let her looks fool you." Gatomon hissed, coming out of her bag. "That's no little girl. It's a Digimon, Psyhumon. There's immense psychic power packed behind that sweet smile."

The girl…Psyhumon…frowned grumpily. "Bad kitty." she scolded lifting her hand. "We just wanna play."

Her eyes suddenly flared completely in an unnaturally bright purple. Gatomon was suddenly lifted off the floor and hurled into the bedroom wall, making a dent and dropping back to the floor, stunned.

"Gatomon!" Kari cried from her place.

"Gatomon?" T.K. asked, looking up. "Y-You mean you…?"

"No time now." Kari whispered to him, gathering the child up. "We've got to get out of here! Gatomon, Patamon, come on!"

She began to run for the door, but Psyhumon was suddenly in front of her. "I don't like tag." she said toyingly. "It's no fun. Let's play catch instead!"

A ball of purple energy appeared in her hand, the same size as a softball. But by the way her eyes glowed the exact same way, something told Kari that this wasn't going to be pretty.

She scrambled away from the creature, just as the bed behind her exploded with the hot purple ball. Psyhumon kept throwing them at the two kids, one after another. Kari finally dove behind a wall, just barely taking cover.

Psyhumon had lost track of them, looking around her with a giggle. "Hide-n-Seek!" she laughed. "That's lotsa fun! I'm gonna get you!"

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Kari whispered.

"I'll get 'er!" T.K. exclaimed, standing suddenly.

"T.K., no!" Kari cried, pulling him back down.

"Patamon and I can stop her!" T.K. insisted, the looked the young woman in the eye. "You know that, don't you? You and Gatomon…you can do it too."

Kari stared at him a moment, then nodded. No point in hiding it anymore. "Okay then." she sighed, standing. "Let's go!"

In a couple of seconds, Gatomon and Patamon had Digivolved to Nefertimon and Angemon, respectively. T.K. was surprised when the tiny white cat changed into something besides Angewomon, but recovered in a moment.

Psyhumon frowned. "You're no fun." she muttered. "I'll just get rid of you right now!"

Spinning so quickly she was only a blur, the Digimon in the guise of a human girl started flinging purple fire in every direction. Kari and T.K. both ducked under Angemon's protective grasp, the Digimon taking most of the damage from the attack.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon shouted, knocking Psyhumon into a pile of rubble.

Angemon rose and leapt into the fray before the enemy Digimon could recover. "Hand of Fate!"

Psyhumon stumbled out of her mess, looking awful. There was a bleeding cut above her left eye. "You'll pay for this." she growled, taking flight. "My Master has more plans than you think! You'll be punished just for my being here!"

"What…?" Kari asked out loud as she vanished, but she didn't finish.

T.K. shook suddenly, a large spasm across his body, and dropped limp. "T.K.!" Kari exclaimed, catching him. A small dart, purple, like Psyhumon's attacks, was stuck into the major vein of his neck. Kari yanked it out, but it wasn't enough to make his eyes roll back the right way.

"T.K., please wake up!" she cried, shaking the child in the rubble that was left of the room. "T.K., come on! Wake up! T.K.! _T.K.!_"


	10. Lost Love

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Damn, this chapter was hard to write. I hope it turned out okay…'Cause otherwise I'm in trouble…

If you like Yu Yu Hakusho, do me a favor…I just started a Yu Yu fic, a Kurama-focused story called Lilies and Roses. Would you go read it and tell me where to go, pretty please? I need help!!!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will.

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Lost

Chapter 10: Lost Love

"Any idea what's the matter with him?"

Izzy and Joe both glanced at each other. Knowing that a traditional doctor would never be able to cure anything from the Digital World, they'd brought the unconscious child to Kari and Tai's house. T.K. was lying spread out in Kari's bed, face flushed with a fever and occasionally moaning.

"It's some sort of poison." Joe finally sighed. "But only very weak, it's not life-threatening. However…"

"However…what?" Kari breathed.

"I don't think MagnaDevimon was planning on it affecting his age-changing spell like this." Izzy nodded to the boy. "Take a close look at him."

Tai and Kari both leaned over the boy. His face did look…a little different. "His clothes don't fit anymore." Tai noted. "They're too tight."

It was true. The green outfit his mother had neglected to throw away for six years looked about a size too small for him now, tightening around his arms and legs in particular. 

"Exactly." Izzy noted, chewing on the end of his pen. "He's aging rapidly. He's gotten about a year older in the four hours he's been affected. If he continues like this, he'll be back at sixteen years old by 10 o'clock tomorrow evening."

"Will he stop after that?" Tai asked.

"I hope so." Izzy sighed. "This may just be curing his condition for all I know, or it could turn him into an old man in a couple of days."

"Will…" Kari looked up. "When he gets to be…13 or whatever…Will his memories come back?"

"Well…" Izzy paused a moment before answering. "I don't know."

"What? Izzy, you're supposed to be our info guy!" Tai exclaimed. "You're messing up our expectations here!"

"Even a genius can't know everything, Tai!" Izzy snapped. He sighed again, sitting down in a chair. "He could remember everything about who he really is or he could just have amnesia again."

Kari gazed back at T.K. longingly. "I'll take it he'll have to stay here?" she whispered quietly.

"He'll have to." Izzy shrugged. "His apartment was totally wrecked, wasn't it?" 

"Yeah…" Kari suddenly gagged and sat straight up. "Oh my god! I just remembered…I forgot to tell Matt, or Ms. Takaishai!!"

"WHAT?!" Tai leapt to his feet. "Aw, man! Matt's gonna kill me!"

Kari rushed out into hall and snatched up the phone, quickly putting in the number of Matt's cell. The boy sounded rushed and out-of-breath when he answered. "Hello?"

"Matt, it's Kari…" he cut her off.

"Kari! About time! Where the heck are you?! What happened, and where's T.K.?!"

"Relax." she soothed through the phone. "We had…a little problem…T.K.'s safe, he's here with us, but…"

"'But'?" Matt echoed. "But what?!"

"Well…It's complicated." Kari finally sighed. "But I'm sorry the apartment got wrecked. T.K. needs to stay here for a while, okay? Can you guys stay with your dad or something?"

"Sure…I guess." Matt muttered, impatient. "But what's wrong with T.K.?"

"He's…" Kari gulped, then rushed into a barrage of excuses. "Ican'treallysayrightnowbutI'vegottagocallyoulaterbye!"

She hung up the phone without waiting for his answer, then went back to Tai's room. Izzy and Joe had already left, and Tai was setting up a coat next to his own bed.

"What's that for?" Kari asked.

"Izzy suggested that one of us stay with him at all times." Tai sighed, putting sheets onto the cot. "He probably won't regain consciousness for a while, but he could still be having problems…"

Kari looked down at the cot. "Can I stay in here, then?" she asked quietly.

Tai did a double-take. "What?"

"I wanna stay here." Kari's voice was more determined this time. "I wanna make sure he's really okay. Please, Tai, please let me stay in here!"

Tai sighed, looking at her hopeful face, then shrugged in defeat. "Okay." he let it go. "Fine. You can stay here. But no funny business, you got it?"

Kari smiled a wide smile, throwing her arms around her brother and kissing him on the cheek. Tai grinned as she got the cot set up so she was comfortable, then sighed again when he looked up at the boy in his bed.

"Jeez…" he muttered to himself. "Matt is gonna kill me."

~ * ~ * ~

Kari spent the night in Tai's room, occasionally being awoken by a soft moaning. She kept a caring watch over T.K. through the whole time as he grew gradually older.

About 10 o'clock the next morning she woke up on her own and dressed as quickly as she could. Then she gazed over T.K.'s comatose form.

He looked to be 13 years old, the clothes Tai and Izzy had changed him into earlier were starting to fit much better than they had. He was breathing hard, gasping and occasionally muttering to himself.

"Kari…" he groaned, slurring the words. "You have no idea how long…I've been afraid… scared…But…I can't keep it in anymore…back in the Digital World…You got so sick…needed me……Kari…I…I love…"

"T.K…" Patamon whispered, curling up next to him.

"The note…" Kari whispered. It was still folded in her drawer, back in her room. She'd memorized every line out of grief. Now it rang again in her ears.

The boy's face changed to an expression of fear and pain. "H-Help…" he whispered. "M-Matt…H-help…me…"

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"He must be reliving the crash…" Kari realized with a shock. She knelt by his bed and gently ran her fingers through his hair, soothing him gently. "It's okay…Don't worry…It's okay…"

His hand groped sleepily for hers, finally grasping it. It seamed to fill him with some sort of relief, despite being a good three years younger than he should have been. She smiled a bit, feeling almost like a mother to a child.

The window next to her sudden blew open. She ducked out of pure reaction, still holding his hand. There was a horribly familiar laughter filling the room and both Digivices started going off wildly. "Well well well…"

Kari dared to look up. Patamon took suddenly to the air, hovering between the girl and MagnaDevimon. "You stay away from them!" he shouted, firing a Boom Bubble attack.

It bounced off the evil Digimon with little to no effect. The door to the bedroom was flung open and Gatomon bounded inside, Tai sliding right behind her. "Kari!" he gasped, grabbing onto the doorway. "What the heck…?"

"It's been a while, goggle-boy." MagnaDevimon laughed. "But we're busy right now, so if you'll excuse us…"

He swiped his hand in the direction of the door and it slammed shut, unable to open otherwise. Then he turned back to his victims. "Now then…" he chuckled. "I'll be taking that boy."

"Over my dead body!" Kari and Patamon exclaimed at the same time. Gatomon hissed like any normal cat, bristling all over.

MagnaDevimon narrowed his eyes. "That can be arranged, girl." he growled, and all of a sudden his hand shot out in the same manner as his old Touch of Evil attack.

Gatomon and Patamon stood ready and took the whole blast. Neither one could stand against it and crumpled instantly, Gatomon into Kari's lap and Patamon into the bed next to his own partner.

"Now…" MagnaDevimon smiled evilly. "We'll be going…"

Kari scooped her partner up in one arm and set Patamon on T.K.'s chest. She then began trying to pull the unconscious boy out of the room as quickly as possible, but it soon became obvious that they'd never make it out.

"T.K.…" she whispered, tears springing up. She dropped back onto the bed and clutched the three close to her, she felt the huge monster closing his hand around them before everything went black.

**__**

To be continued…


End file.
